Wringer



Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention relates particularly to clothes wringers, and an object of the invention is to provide a wringer embodying new and improved safety features due to which injury of the user usually caused by carlessness in wringer operation becomes practically impossible.

Another and more specific object is to provide, in a safety wringer, a release mechanism for relieving operating spring pressure from the O wringer rolls including an upper'frame section or head arranged to move vertically out of a normal operating assembly with a lower frame section in relieving said pressure, and a switch interposed in a circuit controlling the motor for driving the wringer rolls, which switch is constantly spring urged into circuit breaking position and is engageable with said head only when said head is in its normal assembled position to maintain the switch in circuit closing position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation on a reduced scale of a wringer embodying the features of the invention, part of the head being broken away to illustrate internal structure.

Fig. 2 is a plan section through the wringer head along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the upper side of the switch casing being omitted and other 3 parts of the switch casing being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the wringer looking in the direction indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing, a wringer frame is shown having channel-shaped side stiles ID, a base ll rigidly connected therewith, and a separable hollow head I2 adapted to fit telescopically over the upper ends of said side stiles. Upper and lower wringer rolls l3 and 14 respectively are supported on shafts l5 and IS, the ends of which are journaled in bearings I! located in the channels of the side stiles. The upper bearings slide vertically in the side stiles to permit of a separating movement of the upper roll relative to the lower roll.

The wringer rolls are driven in any suitable manneras by connecting the lower rollshaft I6 with conventional gears (not shown but located in the gear housing l8), said gears being driven by a shaft l9 connected with a driving motor which is diagrammatically indicated at 20.

The wringer rolls normally operate under an applied spring pressure and the device includes safety release mechanism by which such pressure may be instantly released in an emergency. To this end, an elongated, somewhat bowed leaf spring 2| normally concealed within the head bears at each end upon the upper bearings I1. Between its ends, the spring is engaged by tensioning means such as the manipulable screw device'22 mounted on the head.

The head is normally secured to the side stiles so that the screw device is effective to place the spring under tension and thereby apply pressure to the rolls and the means for so securing the head is quickly releasable to permit vertical movement of the head from the side stiles. Such movement of course relieves the spring pressure on the rolls. Thus, in one end wall of the head is an aperture 23 (Fig. 2) for engagement with a short stud or pin 24 on the corresponding side stile. The side stile at the opposite end of the wringer supports an upwardly extending spring member 25 having near its upper end a lip 26 (Fig. 1) projecting toward the side stile and engageable with a shoulder formed by the lower edge of an opening 21 in the end wall of the head. Such engagement, it will be evident, secures the head firmly on the lower section of the wringer frame against upward movement under the influence of the leaf spring 2|.

Release of wringer roll pressure is accomplished by disengaging the lip 26 from the head whereupon the upward movement of the head frees the pin 24 from aperture 23 at the opposite end of the head to disconnect the head entirely from the side stiles. As best seen in Fig. 2, a preferred disengaging means comprises an arm 28 suitably supported, as at 29, for sliding movement longitudinally of and within the head. One end of the arm may be extended through the aperture 21 in the end wall of the head above the shoulder engaged by the lip 26. The opposite end of the arm terminates in a fiat abutment 30 disposed adjacent to the tensioning means 22. Said tensioning means has screw threaded engagement with a sleeve 3| (Fig. 1) which is suitably secured on the head only for rotational movement relative thereto and the end of the sleeve within the head carries a cam plate 32 having an elongated flat side for normal engagement with. the abutment 30 on the arm 28. A handle 33 rigid with the sleeve facilitates rotation of the sleeve by the user to move an end of the cam plate against the abutment 30 and thereby shove the arm longitudinally outwardly to disengage the lip 26 from opening 21. A spring 34 bears between the arm and a stationary part for urging the arm against thecam plate and normally out of 0perative engagement with the spring member 25.

The upward movement of the head in the operation of releasing roll pressure is employed to produce a circuit opening movement of a switch which is in control of wringer operation so that cessation of roll movement is simultaneous with the release of pressure.

The preferred form of switch is one which has a normal, spring urged open position requiring a definite holding means for maintaining a closed circuit. Thus, terminals 34, 35 (Fig. 2), by which the switch is included in the motor circuit shown in Fig. 1, are mounted in a switch casing 36 suitably secured to a side stile to occupy a position opposite one end of the head. A contact 31 is permanently spring pressed into electrical connection with one terminal (herein terminal 34) and. is movable into electrical engagement with the other terminal 35 by an insulated actuator or controller 38. Said controller extends through the casing, is loosely connected with the contact, as by pins 39, has a finger piece 40 at the outer end and a hook 4| at the inner end adjacent to the wringer head. A spring 42 exerts a force on said controller for urging the contact 31 away from terminal 35 thereby providing a switch which is normally open. The head opposite the hook 4| carries a downwardly extending finger 43 which is outwardly offset to permit engagement thereof by the hook. Such engagement is effective to hold the switch closed but as the head moves vertically, the hook and finger are disengaged and the spring 42 opens the switch. The finger piece 40 is provided to facilitate manipulation of the switch mechanism in resetting it or to enable the operator easily to open the circuit without actuation of the wringer pressure releasing mechanism.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an improved safety wringer has been produced in which a normally open switch is held closed by the wringer head in its operative position while the upward movement of the head in releasing wringer roll pressure produces a simultaneous opening of the motor circuit by the return of the switch to its normal position. Should a person become entangled in the rolls, a single act will instantly render all parts of the assembly inoperative thus saving the person from injury.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wringer, a frame having upright side stiles in which wringer rolls are mounted for operation under applied spring pressure, driving means for said rolls, a head arranged to telescope over said side stiles and when so telescoped to maintain the rolls under pressure, releasable means for holding the head normally telescoped. and a switch unit controlling the operation of said driving means having a movable contact, spring means exerting a force for yieldingly holding said contact in circuit breaking position, and means connecting said movable contact and an external part of said head for holding the contact in circuit making position when the head is operatively associated with the frame.

2. In a wringer, the combination of upper and lower wringer frame sections normally assembled to maintain wringer rolls under an operating spring pressure, a motor for driving said rolls, releasable means for detachably connecting said sections in assembly and releasable to free the upper section for vertical movement in relieving said operating pressure, and a switch unit fixed with respect to the lower frame section for controlling the operation of said motor and including a movable switch operator for manipulation by a user, and means for detachably connecting said operator upon manipulation by the user with the vertically moving upper section for maintaining the switch closed or open respectively as the upper section is assembled or disassembled.

WALTER K. VOSS. 

